ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, March 30, 1997 TAG: 9703310156
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN THE ROANOKE TIMES
The Salem Avalanche is going back to a ticket policy that was successful in the past.
Dave Oster used to have this trick he would play on the people at the Holiday Inn in downtown Wilmington, Del.
It was 1993 and he was one of many staffers of the Carolina League's new franchise, the Wilmington Blue Rocks. Considering the Blue Rocks were the first professional baseball team in Wilmington since the 1940s, there was plenty of work to do. Oster worked from 7 a.m. until 2 a.m., which wasn't really a problem. He was single and he was doing exactly what he wanted to do after graduating from Ohio Northern University.
There was the small problem, however, of what to do with his black Labrador retriever, Thunder. Oster may have been able to stay indoors for 19 hours, but ol' Thunder, he was a different story.
Oster had to figure out a way to get him out of the building a few times a day. Oster put on a pair of sunglasses and let his dog lead him out of the building as if he were blind. ``So they wouldn't give me any grief about having a dog back there,'' he said.
That was the only thing Oster had to worry about in his three years with the Blue Rocks. Thirsty after a 50-year baseball drought, people in the region between Baltimore and Philadelphia literally lined up at the gates before every game, hoping to get a ticket.
``There's so much big-league baseball around it, people are huge followers of the game,'' said Oster, now in his second year as general manager of the Salem Avalanche. ``There it was almost too easy.
``In Wilmington, getting into a ballgame for four bucks, six bucks, whatever, they're like, `That's outstanding!' The perception down here is different.''
So is the ticket demand. Although the Salem Avalanche set an attendance record last season in their first full slate in the new Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium, franchise officials planned on even better numbers. ``When you have a new stadium you just envision opening the gates and people flocking in,'' Oster said . ``We weren't unhappy with our numbers, but we think things can be better.''
Oster wasn't making a blind statement when he said that. He can see it in the numbers. Last season the Avalanche sold about 500 season ticket packages. The Avalanche already is well beyond that mark in 1997, and the season doesn't begin until Friday.
The biggest difference is in the promotions. In 1996, the Avalanche had two giveaways, a t-shirt night and an umbrella night, and two fireworks shows.
There are already 10 giveaways scheduled for 1997 and four fireworks shows, the first coming Saturday night. Also in the works are a 25-cents hot dog night and a ``Thirsty Thursday'' promotion.
``I think it's huge,'' Oster said. ``The different things are going to attract the people that aren't the hardcore baseball fans.''
Among the other attractions are a new mascot, Muggsy, a St.Bernard that is much more faithful to the Avalanche theme than the inexplicable ``Baseball Nut.'' The souvenir shop in the new team office building will be christened ``The Igloo,'' its entrance framed by a fiberglass mountain with a neon sign.
To increase franchise visibility, a new Avalanche mobile, a repainted Volkswagen Beetle, will tool around town replete with Muggsy and stacks of pocket schedules.
The Avalanche's most significant off-season move, however, was bringing back the ever-popular Bonus Books, discount ticket packages that can be used for any game. They replace the game-plan tickets sold last year that were discounted but locked patrons into specific dates. With the game plans, there was no risk of a slew of people trying to use their bonus books all for the same game. The franchise's goal this season is to average 3,500 people per game.
``What we didn't want to happen was a family of six from Christiansburg comes driving up and they have these general admission seats and all of a sudden they can't get in,'' Oster said. ``Now though, I think we've seen it spread out over the long haul that's not going to be much of a problem.''
Oster's performance on the job has some people hoping he's with the Avalanche for the long haul. Carolina League managers and owners voted him the league's Executive of the Year in 1996, although Oster joked he bought most of the votes. ``I was just smart enough to give the visiting managers more beer than anybody else,'' he said.
``He's done a remarkable job,'' said Avalanche owner Kelvin Bowles. ``He's a people person, and that's very important in this business.''
Oster tries to model himself after the late, great baseball promoter Bill Veeck.
``He's always been a maverick and always been a leader,'' said Oster, who constantly paces the ballpark seats during games. ``He kind of went against the norm. But what he did years ago is what everybody's doing. They scoffed at him back then, but his biggest thing was he would spend so much time during games sitting in the stands with the fans and just listening to what they had to say.
``That's where you get most of your ideas; you talk to people. How hard is that?''
It's not hard at all. But it will make life easier, and even better, for the Avalanche.
LENGTH: Medium: 99 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: CINDY PINKSTON/THE ROANOKE TIMES. Dave Oster has plentyby CNBof special promotions planned for Salem Avalanche games this season.
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